Pros
It is a good place to work if you enjoy being busy constantly. You are very much kept on your toes all day. There are a lot of operators who are very nice and make the working day more pleasant. I was given the opportunity to learn the job in full from my first day by being taught how to read picking lists, bill of materials, shown how to recognise certain items by their reference number and shown how the packing/warehouse side of the factory works as well as the cleanroom. Seeing yourself improve speed after working in the factory for a while is pleasing. You will be able to keep up with the production line after a short while and will be as good as the more experienced operators.
Cons
Working environment could be better - it can become very warm in the cleanroom in summer months and becomes worse when you are rushing to keep up with the production line. The salary does not reflect the amount of work put into the job (minimum wage - worked to your maximum potential - is very difficult at the beginning). Opportunity for progression is very limited and is given on a family/friends basis the majority of the time. Definitely no equal opportunities within the factory. Very “who you know, not what you know” style workforce. Not a place to work if you are a lone wolf. It is a very team oriented workplace and getting on with the other employees will make your job a lot easier. Breaks are limited - 2x 15 minute breaks on an 8 hour shift and these are unpaid. A lot of favouritism is noticeable on some production lines - some team leaders will stick to their operators on their line like glue and can be quite rude to new operators and this in turn puts them down and makes the working environment horrible. (Not all team leaders are like this - some are very fair and welcoming to new starters)